Sal LoCurto will join NPR in June as its new senior director, broadcast programming strategy.
LoCurto, who will be based in Los Angeles, will work with NPR divisions on broadcast initiatives and support partnerships with external broadcast and podcast producers; he also will lead a team devoted to supporting NPR Network initiatives. 
“He will also help to build clear and systematic communication channels with our partners, in collaboration with our Member Partnership team,” wrote Senior Vice President for Programming and Audience Development Anya Grundmann.
He succeeds Steve Nelson, senior director of programming, who left NPR last year.
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In a memo to staff, Grundmann said LoCurto was chosen after a national search. She described him as “an experienced media professional … [who will] help drive the strategic direction of our broadcast programming (beyond the newsmagazines) and to oversee our relationship with external program producers.”
LoCurto most recently was program director for KPCC in Pasadena, Calif.
“Over his career, Sal has demonstrated a keen eye for strategy in broadcast and for developing content for Black and Latino audiences,” Grundmann continued.
“As senior vice president for program development and original series at fuse TV, Sal created a strategic roadmap for the network’s content development targeting younger demographics, oversaw the production of pilots and series across many genres, and supported noteworthy series such as The Hustle and Big Freedia: Queen of Bounce.”
He has been a media consultant and vice president of programming for Rave HD at the network and held positions at Universal Studios, Warner Bros. and MTV Networks.
